


So Happily

by DontLetHimGo



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Established Relationship, Family, Fluff, Future Fic, Kid Fic, M/M, Marriage, SO MUCH FLUFF, Surrogacy, basically first day with the baby, family fic, harry wants a baby
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-12-04
Updated: 2013-12-04
Packaged: 2018-01-03 11:29:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,056
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1069951
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DontLetHimGo/pseuds/DontLetHimGo
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Harry and Louis get what they've always wanted - a family.</p>
            </blockquote>





	So Happily

**Author's Note:**

> Hello again! Yes, I know this isn't the second part to 'Before The World Catches Up', but that is still in progress.  
> This, however, is what happens when I can't help but think about how Louis and Harry are going to make such good parents.  
> (And when #HARRY WANTS A BABY becomes a thing...)
> 
> Enjoy!
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own One Direction, and all elements of this are fictional.
> 
> This is a work written by myself, and I do not wish for it to be posted elsewhere. Even if you give me credit, I would much prefer that it stay here on ao3 and on my tumblr only. Thank you!
> 
> Also, all mistakes made are mine!

_How can one person hold so many tears?_

Louis can’t help but wonder this as he watches Harry walking backwards and forwards across the hospital room, the tiny bundle of pink blankets nestled in his arms which he can’t take his eyes off.

“Nine months is a long time,” Louis explains to Gemma, who is watching her brother with a look of worry on her face. “He’s been very patient.”

“But he’s cried every time he’s seen her so far! Who knew he wanted this so much?” she asks rhetorically.

Louis’ known for a long time. 

He’s known since the moment Lux was placed into Harry’s arms all those years ago; the way the boy’s eyes lit up like a child’s at Christmas, the way his smile could’ve blinded anyone who got too close.

He’s known every time Harry’s had a picture taken with a young fan, who can barely contain their excitement at being in the presence of _Harry Styles –_ and Harry being happy just to make someone’s day that bit better.

He’s known since that first time they seriously had a discussion about their future, and Harry started listing places that they could live when they had kids. (Of course there had been all those times when they were young and naïve, laying together in bed with almost every part of their body touching as Harry insisted on them calling their first daughter _Darcy_ – Louis’ pretty sure he knew then too.)

And of course, he’s known since those two perfect words left his sister-in-law’s mouth, and when they saw the little plus on the stick in her hand.

Most of all, he’s known since he fell in love with the boy.

 

Louis’ pulled out of his thoughts when he hears a soft sob from beside him.

“Calm down, Gem; you’re almost as bad as your brother.”

Gemma reaches over to the chair beside the bed so she can punch Louis on the arm. “Shut up, you git; it’s the hormones.”

Louis rolls his eyes. “Sure; ‘ _hormones’._ ”

Before Gemma has chance to hit him again, Harry is hurrying over to the two of them, holding the baby down a little so Louis can see her little face poking out of the blankets. He can’t do anything but coo and smile down at her.

“Aw, you missed it,” Harry grumbles disappointedly. 

“Missed what?” Louis asks, unable to take his eyes off of his daughter. 

“She just did the _cutest_ thing,” Harry explains. “Her mouth was like, wide open, and-”

“Was she just yawning, H?” Gemma enquires tiredly.

“Well, yeah, but-”

“I’m sure she’ll do it again, babe,” Louis reassures, still watching their baby and running his finger down her tiny cheek. “We’ve got a lot of time with her.”

Harry nods, and Louis looks up in time to see another tear running down his cheek. “A lot of time,” he agrees softly. 

 

The next day, the boys come to visit their daughter and crowd around Gemma’s bed, cooing down at the little girl in Louis’ arms. (Harry’s pouty because he didn’t get there first.)

Niall gets to hold her first, and as soon as she is placed in his arms, her eyes fly open, surprised to see someone other than her fathers or her aunt. Her mouth opens as if a wail is about to escape, but Louis shushes her, making sure she can see that he is still there.

“She’s just so _pretty,_ ” Niall whispers. “How did you two ugly sods end up with such a _pretty baby_?”

“It’s probably because they used my DNA and not Harry’s,” Gemma quips, causing the mardy scowl on Harry’s face to deepen and the other boys to laugh.

Louis catches his husband’s eye with an expression of sympathy, and beckons him over with a look; Harry drags his feet as he walks over and squashes in between Louis and Niall. After a moment of him looking wistfully down at the ground, Louis excuses the two of them, dragging Harry outside to the little waiting room down the corridor. It’s empty, other than a nurse chatting to the receptionist behind the desk, so Louis is quick to take Harry’s hand in his and bring it to his lips, kissing it softly.

“What’s wrong?” he asks, raising his free hand to brush a couple of loose curls from the younger boy’s forehead. 

“Nothing’s wrong,” Harry replies, staring at their intertwined fingers.

“Harold; I’ve known you for almost eight years – I think I’d know if you were upset by now.”

Harry sighs and strokes his thumb backwards and forwards across Louis’ hand. “I just can’t help but think about her…you know…not being mine.”

“But she _is_ yours. Honey; she’s _our_ daughter,” Louis reasons.

“She’s more yours than mine,” Harry mumbles as his thumb stops moving. 

Louis takes a deep breath before letting go of Harry’s hand so he can cup his husband’s face in both of them. “Now listen here. That little girl inside that room is _ours._ Do you get that? _Ours._ We will raise her, take care of her, and look out for her for as long as she need us – and by us, I mean her two daddies. The whole DNA thing really doesn’t matter. In years to come, she’ll be telling her friends about her Daddy and her Dad and how silly they are,” he pauses to wipe a tear from Harry’s face with his thumb, “and she’ll tell them about her three stupid uncles that insist on coming round all of the time to spoil her rotten, and she’ll talk about all her aunties and her grandparents and she’ll say how much she loves her _whole family._ Plus,” he adds in a whisper, “I reckon she’ll get your curls, somehow.”

Harry gives a watery laugh as two more tears roll down his cheeks. “I love you, Lou.”

“I love you too, baby,” Louis replies, leaning forward to press a kiss to his husband’s lips. “I love you so much.”

 

Moments later, when they’re practically sharing the same seat and neither of them can stop smiling as they talk about taking their daughter home later in the afternoon, Liam pokes his head around the corner.

“Are you guys okay?” he asks tentatively.

“We are now.” Louis smiles and wraps an arm around Harry’s shoulder. “What’s up?”

“Baby’s missing you,” Liam replies simply, and Louis turns to see a massive smile on Harry’s face before he jumps up from his seat with a grip still on Louis’ hand as he drags him back to the hospital room, Liam close behind. 

“How is my ickle babba, huh?” Harry asks as they enter the room, taking his daughter from Zayn’s outstretched arms.  “You’re so beautiful, sweetheart, I love you _so_ much. Your daddy loves you _so much._ ” 

Louis stands just behind the two of them, watching on with a smile creeping onto his face. 

“Careful, Lou; your fond is showing,” Gemma comments. 

Louis just smiles wider, practically feeling Harry’s happiness radiating off of him. 

 

“Soooo…” Niall eventually says, “Have you guys finally decided on a name?”

Harry looks up from the baby in his arms and nods in Louis’ direction. “Go on.”

“We’ve decided to call her Isobel,” Louis announces, and as everyone _aww_ s, he adds, “Isobel Harriett Tomlinson.”  
“Harriett?” Harry’s eyebrow quirks upwards. “I didn’t know we picked a middle name.”

“Well, uh, we didn’t. But I just thought of it, and…if you don’t like it, we don’t have to-”

“I love it.”

 

***

 

“Seriously, though; we can’t thank you enough.”

“Jesus Christ, I know! You’ve said it enough!” Gemma exclaims, hugging Louis tight. “I’m happy to settle for favourite aunt.”

“And godmother,” Harry adds.

Gemma smiles. “Of course. Anyway, I’m shattered; I’m gonna go and sleep for a few days – have fun with little Izzy!”

“We will,” Louis replies. “Thanks again!”

“Oh, just shut up and go home.” Gemma shoves him lightly, and presses a kiss to his cheek. Louis grins and skips down the steps, looking back over his shoulder to see Harry pulling his sister into a massive embrace.

Louis knows he’s crying.

Crying from gratefulness; tears of joy, tears of happiness.

 

***

 

He sits on front of the TV, barely watching what’s actually on the screen as he awaits surrender.

Every few minutes he may shout, “You still okay?”

And when Harry replies, “Of course I am!” from the kitchen, bathroom, nursery, et cetera, Louis can hear the stress in his tone as it moves between the cries of Izzy. 

When he’s asked for the third time, he decides to go and investigate. 

Harry is stood by the changing table in the nursery, holding a nappy in front of him and moving it this way and that, a frown furrowing his eyebrows as Izzy squirms in front of him, crying loudly. 

“You sure?” Louis asks from the doorway. 

“Why do these work differently to the ones I practiced with?” Harry complains.

“They don’t,” Louis replies simply, walking across and taking it from him, “You just haven’t been practicing with an actual baby.” 

Louis gets Izzy sorted easily, dressing her in a purple striped onesie once her nappy’s changed and gently picking her up.

“How did you do that?” Harry asks, his eyes wide in amazement.

“I’ve just had a lot of practice, love,” Louis replies, cuddling his daughter close and rocking her gently to console her. “You’ll get the hang of this.”

“Sure; when she’s potty trained.” Harry rolls his eyes.

“Don’t think like that. Soon you’ll be pro-baby-changer,” the older man leans up on his toes to press a kiss to his husband’s lips, “and I won’t have to do any of it!”

 

***

 

Louis is stood in the kitchen a few hours later, holding a bottle of milk to Izzy’s lips as she drinks from it greedily, letting out hardly any sounds whatsoever. Louis can’t help but look at every little feature on her tiny face as she’s fed; can’t take his eyes of the blue of her irises, the dark brown mess of very short hair on her head, the delicate rose-pink of her skin. Niall was right; she really is beautiful.

When the bottle’s empty, Louis places it on the counter, gently lifting her onto his shoulder to burp her carefully.

“Can I take her to bed?” Harry asks from the kitchen doorway, a smile on his face as if it’s a privilege. (It probably is, to him.)

“Sure you can,” Louis replies, handing her over now she’s sorted. “I’ll be in in a minute; just gotta sort some stuff out.”

Harry nods and leaves the room; Louis can hear him nattering on to the sleepy baby the whole way to the bedroom. 

Louis puts the used bottle in the dishwasher and wipes down the counter where he spilt some of the formula powder, surprised all of a sudden by how _domestic_ he’s being. _Must be a Dad thing_ , he thinks, scaring himself.

 

A few minutes later, he walks into the bedroom to find Harry knelt down by the cot, looking down at the baby inside and singing something softly to her. After a short moment, Louis realises that it’s ‘ _What Makes You Beautiful’_ – and that should make him cringe, but weirdly it doesn’t. In fact, he finds himself smiling as his dork of a husband sings their group’s first single to their daughter.

When Harry’s soft melodic voice fades, Louis steps forward and kneels beside him, watching as Harry reaches into the cot and Izzy grabs his finger in her whole pink fist. It’s then that Louis finally turns to face his husband, and sees that he is positively _glowing._

“You seem happy,” Louis comments as he notices Izzy’s blue eyes slowly closing and her hand slowly loosening on Harry’s as she falls asleep.

“It feels surreal, doesn’t it?” Harry muses. “It hasn’t quite hit that she’s here and she’s actually ours, you know?”

Louis nods in agreement. 

He knows.

 

They cuddle in bed after that, whispering back and forth as Louis buries his head in Harry’s neck and Harry holds him close, stroking up and down his back gently.

When they fall asleep, however, and are woken at an ungodly hour in the morning, maybe the fact that they now have a child doesn’t feel as surreal anymore.  

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading!
> 
>  
> 
> [My Tumblr](http://birds-of-freedom.tumblr.com/)


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